Outlook:
So the first week of Sept we have thunder and lightening storms and the second week we break records for heat and sun. As the mixed bag of weather is upon us and continues to be over the next 10days it has provided and will likely continue to provide fisherman with a mixed bag of fishing as well.
Local salt fishing has continued to go from good to GREAT. Sturgeon fishing has been really good on the Fraser, the pink fishing is heating up as well on the Fraser.
Mark with huge sturgeon!
This weekend promises more of the same great weather although early next week we are forecast for more rain which will continue throughout the week. This may push some fish up the rivers but can also bring in fresh waves of fish onto your local favorite fishing spots.
As always, you won’t have a tight line unless it is a wet line so get out there and fish!
Stillwater Report: courtesy of our friend John Kent
Fall fishing in the Interior is, without a doubt, my favourite time of the year. I have had some awesome days fishing premium hours of the day.
Picking and choosing when and where to go will usually dictate your level of success. The unwritten rule on backswimmers (waterboatmen) is the mating flight commence in earnest after three consecutive nights of frost and one of my favourite lakes for this activity is Big OK (Island) and for three straight years I had it dialed in perfectly to September 21-24th. I found the fish cruising the south shoreline in 3′ of water searching out the telltale sign of an air bubble that backswimmers carry on the underside of their abdomens. Steve Jennings’ Ultimate Boatman is a worthy imitation and make sure you bring lots because the fish hit ’em like a freight train and break off the strongest of tippets.
The first week of October brings the bloodworm migration. The chironomid larvae migrate from the shallows to deep water where they reside for the winter. I have had some great days on Tunkwa in the past during this migration and, for the most part, have the lake to myself midweek. Flashy bright red patterns in size 12-14 are the way to go.
JK Bloodworm Pattern
If fall is progressing normally then by the October first the weeds in the shallows are starting to decompose and all the bugs are fleeing in search of new homes for the winter. This fact does not escape the hungry trout and they are usually stacked up just off the edges waiting to ambush their prey. Leeches, shrimp, mayflies and juvenile damsels are good patterns to try.
It’s worth mentioning that juvenile dragonfly nymphs are also migrating to deeper water for the winter and the trout hold this food source in high regard. It is best to use a floating pattern, 2-4′ leader and a Type 6-7 Hi-D sinking line.
With all that said, there is a high elevation lake I fish northwest of Merritt that holds trout to 10 lbs. and has an incredible traveller sedge hatch during the summer months. I haven’t killed a fish there in 5 years but when I did every fall fish was jam packed with caddis larvae. The fish were so gorged that when I placed a hand under the belly to cradle them the live bugs would come pouring back out their mouths.
Fall success
What we can learn from this is when you head out for a fall fishing trip to the Interior go prepared with a full selection of flies.
Have fun out there, perhaps I’ll see y’all out there
JK
Ocean Salmon on the Fly: This is the time to visit your favorite beach to target staging salmon!
AS Grip’n Grin!
The tides are in our favor for those who want to fish from the beach. At this time of the year you will encounter bigger coho and also chinook swimming around. I was in Sewer Bay on a boat and was surrounded with fish. We hooked into a dozen fish which we managed to land 5 in total which 4 of them were wild fish.
Nice Hatchery!
You want to fish you fly almost suspended in the water with little twitches, the best flies were all white or light pink Euphocid patterns. I moved up to 12lb fluorocarbon because of the 15ib plus coho and the Chinooks that kept rolling 10 ft away from our boat.
Good luck and happy fishing
Andre
River Report:
Skagit and Thompson
We have had good reports from the Skagit over the last week though a few anglers have run into the dreaded emerger hatch that can be difficult to match. It is quite common this time of year. Well educated fish can be picky and will key in on very specific food items. If you find yourself surrounded by rising fish but have trouble identifying the food source then think small. A #18 Griffith Nat works well in this situation or a small parachute style pattern. The concept is that the fly is so small that the fish can’t tell what it is and just assumes it is food. Also try a soft hackle just under the surface or small flies that ride low in the surface film.
We have not heard of any green drake hatches but expect it to happen soon. The salmon have shown up on the Thompson and they have moved the trout around a bit but with lower salmon numbers we are still hearing reports of good trout fishing.
Matt is heading up today and we will have updated reports when he is back in the shop Sunday.
Seymour River: The Seymour is reporting decent fishing for pink and coho salmon both on the fly and on gear although the fly would be preferred due to the low water conditions. Be aware of the regulations as there is zero retention of pink salmon in the Seymour.
Please check out our friend Rod’s site Fishing with Rod for other current river reports and also check out his video tutorial on pink salmon jig setup for fishing pink’s in the Fraser!
Saltwater Report:
Eddie’s Report:
Well, This week has been a mixed bag of good action and slow days but the amazing weather makes for very enjoyable days on the water. A good reason for the slower days is the 4 separate visits of Orcas that I’ve heard of since my last report. Last weekend they were spotted going from Point Grey towards Roger Curtis. Later that evening I got a call from a friend who was off Bowen Island enjoying paddle boarding with his wife. A pod of Orcas showed up just a 100 yards off. Needless to say their heart rates increased as they quickly paddled back towards shore. They have also been patrolling from the North Arm to T10. On the days we didn’t get their visits the fishing was pretty good.
Last Sunday Scotty reported a slab in the low to mid 30’s landed between the Bell and the North Arm. Although the Sandheads, T10, North Arm and Bell Buoy slowed up a bit due to the whales flushing the fish up the rivers, there is still waves of fresh fish returning to turn things around on any given day.
The Capilano is also starting to show signs of life and I even managed a couple of big plump hatchery cohos there as well as a few chinook. I also got a report from Dave and he even found a couple of cohos down at Sandheads. I’ve been mainly using anchovies and 5′ herring with bloody nose, frog and glo green teaser heads. The cohos I got had been dining on the herring.
A good day!
The boss Jason put a few new flashers on the boat for me to try that worked pretty well. They are new and don’t know the names but there’s some more at the store. One of my favourite purple flashers is probably still being towed by a slab that we lost when another boat ran across our line.
The fish can still be found suspended throughout the water column and also off the bottom at the Capilano. It’s a good idea to try other lures, a nice spring was taken by Eugene off the Mile Markers at 40′ with a white hoochie yesterday. It’s just a matter of covering water and sooner or later you’ll find them.
Tight lines,
Eddie
Watch for JT’s saltwater report on our blog to be updated later today!
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Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Max, Eddie and Bryce